The 2024 Colorado College women's soccer season commences in 48 hours and there is still much to talk about ahead of the first game against the University of Montana. The Tigers take on the Grizzlies in the season opener on Thursday, Aug. 15, at 6 p.m. in Missoula, MT, as a part of the Rumble in the Rockies. CC will also play the University of Iowa on Sunday at 11 a.m.
 
Yesterday, we discussed the 2024 midfielders and forward position groups. Today, let's examine the back half of the field, the defenders, and the goalkeepers. 
 
"We got a good defensive line, most of them are back this year, which is great," head coach Keri Sanchez said. "We're hoping to sure up that end of the field, even more so than scoring goals, which is making sure we keep the ball out of the back of our net." 
 
The Tigers have 15 defenders and goalkeepers on the roster, 10 of whom are returners. 
 
The Netminders
 
Head coach Keri Sanchez returns all three goalkeepers from the 2023 season, including sophomore Regan Wallace, the only freshman to play and start in all 18 matches last season. 
 
The Rancho Cucamonga, CA native led the Mountain West Conference with 111 saves, which were also the seventh most in the nation and sixth most in program history during a single season. Wallace's save count was the most for a CC freshman goalkeeper since 2001. 
 
Wallace was named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week for her performance in the City For Champions Cup performance against Air Force in the season finale. 
 
Senior Zahra Cheeseman enters her fourth season after the Haywards Heath product appeared in three games in 2023. Cheeseman finished the year with with 84 minutes played, four saves, and a .444 save percentage. 
 
The other sophomore goalkeeper is Erka Upson. Upson made five appearances for the Tigers last fall, including her college debut on Aug. 27 against Kansas. She made 11 saves in 2023, including a career-high three saves on two occasions against the Jayhawks and Wyoming. 
 
The Back Four
 
"We've talked a lot about how we are going to defend," Sanchez said. "We're gonna make sure we are making inside the box, how we're trying to prevent teams from getting into our box." 
 
Sanchez noted the leadership of Alexis Wessler, Emily Hitt and MaKenna Kolson as names to look out for in 2024.
 
Wessler, mentioned yesterday, a Highlands Ranch native, led the team with 1,535 minutes played last year and returns this year for a fifth year as the most experienced player on the roster. The midfielder enters her final season with 68 games played, 67 starts and over 5,600 minutes played. 
 
Kolson and Wessler were named on the Mountain West Watch List for this season. The junior started in 11 matches last year and finished the season with 16 appearances. She was fifth on the team with 1,091 minutes played and logged four 90-minute games.
 
Six players on the Tigers' roster are listed as true defenders, while six others can play either in the midfield or as a forward. Two of the six defenders are seniors Emily Hitt and Ava Risser. 
 
Hitt didn't appear during 2023 but returns as a key component to CC's defensive structure. The Raleigh, N.C. native will look to make her first in-game appearance since Oct. 23, 2022, in a game against the University of Nevada. In her sophomore year, Hitt appeared in 15 matches and made nine starts. 
 
As a junior, Risser started in 17 matches, missing only one game in 2023. She finished the season with three points, a goal and an assist. She scored a direct corner kick against Bucknell early in the season, her first career goal. Risser has made 36 starts on the back side of the pitch, and alongside Hitt, the two seniors will look to anchor the talented defensive group. 
 
Kylie Smith and Evie Biggs are the other two upperclassmen. The two juniors return with valuable game experience. Biggs started all 18 matches in 2023 and finished the year just shy of 800 minutes on the pitch. Smith made her first career start last season and played in 12 games overall during her sophomore campaign.  
 
Freshman Charlotte Strabel comes to Olympic City, USA, after playing her high school soccer about an hour up the interstate at Rock Canyon High School in Highlands Ranch, CO. Strabel also competed for Real Colorado in the ECNL, the same group that won the national title in 2022 in Virginia. 
 
Fellow first-year Jessica Anderson enters her collegiate career after playing prep soccer for Los Altos High School in Mountain View, CA, where she was named the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League All-League Defensive MVP in 2023 and 2024 and All-League First Team selections in the same year. 

The first game of the season against Montana and Sunday's contest against Iowa can be watched on ESPN+.